Skimming aerial projectile toy



May 11, 1965 H. J. UPDAW SKIMMING AERIAL PROJECTILE TOY Filed Jan. 11, 1963 INVENTOR- #42010 c/. 0/ 04 47'7'az/vys.

United States Patent 3,183,002 SKINIMING AERIAL PROJECTILE TOY Harold J. Updaw, 386 Clay Road, Rochester 23, NY. Filed Jan. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 250,803 3 Claims. (Cl. 273106) This invention relates to a novel skimming toy for use on soft snow or in Water.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a highly diverting and amusing buoyant toy of the kind indicated, which affords opportunity to one or more participants to develop skill and accuracy in skimming the toy for distance, to reach a target, or to execute other maneuvers in order to gain points, or merely for exercise.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple, safe, and inexpensive but rugged toy of the character indicated above which can'be made in attractively colored and shaped forms, entirely or mainly, from plastic materials.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, specific forms of the invention are set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a toy of the present invention, in the form of a snake;

FIGURE 2 is a contracted longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE ,1, showing, in phantom lines, a removable weight inserted; and

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the toy.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated toy comprises an elongated straight tubular body 19 having a bore 12 and forward and rear ends 14 and 16, into which are plug fitted, a snake head 18, and a snake tail 20, respectively.

The snake head 18 is preferably solid and comprises a relatively flat forward head portion 22, of maximum cross section, a reduced diameter intermediate neck portion 24, into which the head portion merges, and a rearwardly flaring rear portion 26, which terminates in a reduced diameter axial cylindrical plug 28, adapted to be removably and frictionally secured in the forward end 14 of the body 10.

The tail 20 comprises an elongated cylindrical cross section and rearwardly tapering solid body 30, having a blunt, rounded rear end 32, and having, on its forward end, an axial reduced diameter cylindrical plug 34, which is adapted to be removably and frictionally secured in the rear end 16 of the body lt). The blunting of the rear end of the snake tail 20 and the blunt contour of the snake head 18, render the toy relatively harmless when accidentally impelled against a person.

For water skimming, the foregoing components of the toy constitute the toy, but for snow skimming, a weight, generally designated 36 is added. The weight 36 comprises an elongated body 38, here shown as being cylindrical in form, but which can be regular polygonal in as shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 2, has a forward 7 end 42 which abuts the snake head plug 28, with the rear end 44 of the weight body 38 abutting the snake tail plug 34, so that the weight 36 is held against rattling and movingendwise within the body. The weight body 38 r: ce

and the rod 40 can be of any suitable, preferably solid material, such as plastic or wood.

The resultant location of the weight body 38 rearwardly of the center of gravity and the midlength point of the toy overbalances the toy rearwardly for snow skimming. In snow skimming, the user of the toy, trymg for distance or trying to strike a designated target, pushes the toy away from the user, in the desired direction, so that the toy skims over the snow in a forwardly inclined position, due to its being overbalanced rear- Wardly, with the result that a track or rut is formed in the snow. The toy is then retrieved, and placed in this track, at the same starting point, and propelled away from the user, so that the toy, having the benefit of the track or rut, travels farther than the length of the original rut or track and in so doing forms a prolongation of the original rut or track. These operations are repeated, from the original starting point as often as desired, or required by stipulation between participating players, the winner being the player obtaining the greatest distance, or the player reaching closest to or striking a designated target.

In water skimming, the weight 36 having been removed from the body 10, the user of the toy pushes the toy, either underhand or side-arm, over the surface of the water, either for distance or toward a designated target, while standing at the edge of the water or in shallow water, as in the shallow end of a swimming pool. The toy can also be caused to move along into and out of the water in a bobbing motion, by impelling the toy into the water at a downward and forward angle. For Water surface skimming, the user grasps the toy at a point about one-third of the distance from its head, and impels the toy along the surface of the water with an underhand thrust.

While there have been shown and described preferred forms of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A skimming toy comprising an elongated body having rear and forward ends, an axially elongated head fixed on the forward end of the body, said head being at least as wide as the body, said head having a flat undersurface which is angled upwardly and forwardly relative to the underside of the body, a tail closing the rear end of the body, said tail being a tapering solid body and having a rounded blunt rear' end and having a forward end terminating in a cylindrical plug fitting into the rear end of the body, and a weight removably contained in said body and bearing against said plug and said head.

2. A skimming toy comprising an elongated body havin rear and forward ends, an axially-elongated head fixed on the forward end of the body, said head being at least as wide as the body, said head having a flat undersurface which is angled upwardly and forwardly relative to the underside of the body, said body containing a weight, at a location intermediate its ends, and rearwardly of the center-of-gravity of the body, said body being tubular, means closing the rear end of the body, said head having a rear end exposed within the forward end of the body, either said means or said head being removable, and said weight comprising an elongated body slidably fitting the interior of the body, said weight body being engaged at its rear end with said means and at its forward end with the rear end of the head.

3. A skimming toy comprising an elongated body hav ll'lg rear. and forward ends, an axially-elongated head fixed on,the forward end of the body, said head being 3 a at least as Wide as the body, said head having a Hat un- References Cited in the file of this patent dersurface which is angled upwardly and forwardly rela- UNITED STATES PATENTS tive to the underside of thebody, said body containing a weight, at a location intermediate its ends, and rear- Teflgel APri13OI 1935 wardly of the center-of-gravity of the body, said body 5 L615? 1958 being tubular, means closing the rear end of the body, 2,931,134 APr11 5, 1960 said head having a rear end exposed within the forward h end of the body, one of said means and said head being FOREIUN PATENTS removable, and said weight comprising an elongated body 191,435 Great Britain J an. 4, 1923 slidably fitting the interior of the body, said weight body 10 135,316 Australi 16, 1949 being engaged at its rear end with said means and at its forward end with the rear end of the head, said weight LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

body having a reduced diameter axial rod on its forward RICHARD C PINKHAM Examiner end extending forwardly therefrom, said rod having a forward end engaged with the rear end of the head. 15 

1. A SKIMMING TOY COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING REAR AND FORWARD ENDS, AN AXIALLY ELONGATED HEAD FIXED ON THE FORWARD END OF THE BODY, SAID HEAD BEING AT LEAST AS WIDE AS THE BODY, SAID HEAD HAVING A FLAT UNDERSURFACE WHICH IS ANGLED UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BODY, A TAIL CLOSING THE REAR END OF THE BODY, SAID TAIL BEING A TAPERING SOLID BODY AND HAVING A ROUNDED BLUNT REAR END AND HAVING A FORWARD END TERMINATING IN A CYLINDRICAL PLUG FITTING INTO THE REAR END OF THE BODY, AND A WEIGHT REMOVABLY CONTAINED IN SAID BODY AND BEARING AGAINST SAID PLUG AND SAID HEAD. 